Chapter 4: Wishes

.:Save Me:.

Sorry for the late update! I've had extreme writer's block on a particular scene in this chapter (that's still very bad but finished for now)! Either way, I hope you all enjoy it! Again, sorry for the late update!

Three Years Later

Itachi Uchiha is the model shinobi. When students in the academy are given examples of what a good shinobi is supposed to be, his name is always first. He executes every command he's given with medical precision and with discipline far beyond his years. At the age of fifteen, he's accomplished more than seasoned veterans three times his age could even dream of. At the young age of fifteen, he's taken far more lives than people twice his age can stomach. At the tender age of fifteen, he's done all of this without hesitation or question. Therefore, Itachi Uchiha is the model shinobi- the best. Every man wants to be him and every woman wants him. What is there not to love about Itachi Uchiha?

"Uchiha-sama." Itachi Uchiha looked up from his desk in the ANBU HQ. A man wearing a white mask that resembled a cat stood in the middle of his office. "You have been summoned to the Elder's Chambers." With that, the man disappeared. Itachi raised a brow as he rose from his chair.

Silently, Itachi performed a few hand signs until he disappeared from his office in a swirl of black feathers and reappeared at the base of the Hokage tower. He made his way inside, up the numerous flights of stairs, until he reached the floor where the Elder's Chambers sat. Making his way down the hall, he paused at the final door on the right side.

"Come in." Itachi's eyes narrowed, his fist frozen a few inches from the door. Who knew the elders still have a few tricks left. Schooling his features into a neutral position before walking inside.

Just as he imagined, the room was small, stuffy, and dark. The colors in the room were all muted, dark colors that didn't allow for much light. There wasn't a window in the room, so the only source of light were six dim lanterns- one in each corner of the room and two in between- giving off enough light to see but not enough to make out clear details. An L shaped couch made up the back wall of the room leaving only on oval shaped coffee table before it. The rest of the room was completely bare. Given who occupied the space, it fit the aura they gave off- simple, dark, and needing a facelift.

"Itachi Uchiha." a scratchy female voice called out to him. Itachi closed the door behind him and walked towards the couch. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out the three forms of Konoha's elders hunched on the couch. "Are you well, Uchiha?" Itachi's eyes flicked to the right side of the couch. The small silhouette of what appeared to be a woman with a high double bun and a hair ornament piercing through the middle of it stood out.

"I am well, Utatane-sama."

"How is your clan?" His eyes shifted to the middle silhouette. Only short spiky hair and what appeared to be glasses reflecting what little light it could stood out.

"Well, Humura-sama." A scoff came from the final form to the left side of the couch. Itachi chose not to comment on it as he maintained his neutral expression while glancing over the forms of the village elders before him. "What business do you have for me?" The room grew quiet, but a deep sigh brought Itachi's attention to the right side of the couch.

"As the heir to the Uchiha clan, I'm sure you are aware of the growing situation between your clan and this village?"

"Yes."

"Then you must be aware of how deep far it's gone?" Itachi hesitated, but his face never wavered.

"Yes."

"What do you know-"

"Why are you beating around the bush, Utatane?" Itachi shifted his eyes to the left side of the couch.

"I am doing nothing of the sort, Shimura-san." He scoffed in response.

"We suspect your clan will make an attack on the village soon." the middle figure, Mitokado, stated calmly.

"And since our illustrious hokage is too soft hearted to do anything about it, we have taken matters into our own hands." Itachi narrowed his eyes in Shimura's direction.

Take matter into their own hands? Coming from Shimura Danzo- the one elder of the village that Itachi has never trusted- it doesn't sound like anything good is coming out of it. Given the fact that the other two elders have gone silent and the fact Danzo didn't use an honorific for Utatane means that they don't agree with this decision either. So what can be so terrible about it?

"I'm inclined to ask for clarification on what gives you the impression an attack is imminent." The room went silent for a long moment.

"We have… received evidence from an anonymous source that the Uchiha clan is planning a coup d'etat." At that, Itachi couldn't stop the slight widening of his eyes.

A coup? Why has he never heard of it? Being the heir, he should've been the first to know about such plans. If he had known, he would have obviously prevented something so foolish from being attempted much less discussed.

"If such an attack is allowed to happen, we project the casualties will be in the thousands with damage to property leaving thousands more impoverished- if we're able to survive in the first place." Mitokado solemnly stated. Itachi, mostly, kept the emotion he was feeling off his face, but he can't do anything about his racing heart as panic gripped it.

"How do you know the source is credible?"

"The evidence left for us was written in Uchiha Fugaku's hand writing and signed by the Uchiha clan elders. It included battle strategies, maps of evacuation routes, and marked every vulnerable point in the village- information only given to the military police which the Uchiha exclusively control." Shimura disclosed in a voice that held little to no emotion in it. A sinking feeling settled in Itachi's stomach as he gazed over the trio.

"What do you want me to do to stop it? Considering I had no prior knowledge of this plan, I can speak to the councilmen of my clan. Being the heir, I can persuade them to-"

"It's far too late for something as trivial as that." It almost sounded like Shimura was mocking him. Itachi didn't react, but he was tempted to. "We have decided that it's in the best interest of Konoha to eliminate the Uchiha clan."

At that, Itachi couldn't keep the emotion from leaking out. His eyes widened as his heart dropped into his stomach. How- how could they ask him to do something like this?

"This can't be the only option. Have there been negotiations between-"

"That's already been tried on multiple occasions and has failed every time. We've even tried to compromise but, in the end, it was never enough." Itachi's body tensed as rage filled him.

Itachi is no stranger to the elder's version of "negotiations". Every single one goes the same way: take this option or be removed. You don't need to be an expert in communications to know what a clan filled with pride and honor such as the Uchiha would choose in that scenario.

You might as well have signed our death warrants instead. Itachi fumed in his mind.

"What if I refuse?"

"Do you believe you are the only shinobi in this village capable of completing this mission?" Itachi may not have been able to clearly see him, but the feeling of Shimura's piercing eyes made his skin crawl. "If a third party has to be called in to handle this, then know you and your brother will be shown no mercy. That also goes for that Haruno woman and her children." Itachi's heart skipped a beat. Why would they be included?

"There is no evidence implicating them to being a threat to this village."

"That would be true if not for their special circumstances." Utatane bitterly said.

"Toshira Haruno has had close ties to the Uchiha clan since before the attack nine years ago. Before that, she has had some kind of connection to the Nine Tailed Fox demon that resulted in an offspring, Sakura Haruno. That alone should have warranted their elimination years ago." Shimura added.

"But we still have no evidence if Sakura Haruno has any abilities of a demon that would make her a liability to this village." Mitokado insisted in a voice that proved he's been trying to argue this point for a while.

"But are we to wait until she is the prime weapon of this coup to know what she is capable of?" Shimura contested harshly. To that, the other two elders grew quiet again making Itachi's heart sink further.

"What about Naruto?" Itachi could feel the weight of their eyes on him. "He is the offspring of the Fourth Hokage- the man who sacrificed his life to protect this village."

"No one is taking away from Namikaze-sama's sacrifice." Utatane soothed.

"But who's to say he won't side with the Uchiha's when his father was killed because of the village?" Again, the room grew silent at Shimura's words. Itachi's rage was boiling over.

This is ridiculous! How can they agree- let alone think- of such nonsense? None of them have ever even met the people they are accusing of possible treason and he's supposed to kill them because they're afraid of what they might do?

"What if you're wrong?" Itachi couldn't help himself from asking.

"Then we will accept that knowing we did so in the name of protecting our beloved village." The pride- the hypocrisy in his statement made Itachi want to attack him.

Protect the citizens by killing them. Sounds like something a tyrant would say. Itachi bitterly thought, lowering his head.

"Do you accept this mission?" Itachi raised his gaze to see a scroll with the elder's seal emblazon on it now on the table.

If I accept, I will have to murder my entire family. If I decline, they all die anyway- including Toshira-san and her family.

"You're answer, Uchiha." Shimura's voice was booming in Itachi's turmotious mind. The room was still for what felt like eternity.

"I accept." Itachi almost whispered. "But only if you promise not to touch my brother or the Harunos."

"We accept." Shimura's smug voice made Itachi's rage rise, but picking up the scroll with his family's death warrant inside made him want to vomit.

Itachi Uchiha is the model shinobi. When students in the academy are given examples of what a good shinobi is supposed to be, his name is always first. Itachi Uchiha is the best. But what should he do when being the best means being a murderer?

Itachi's POV

Empty. That's how I felt walking through the streets- the all too familiar streets- of Konoha that led to my home. The home I've grown up in. The home I've laughed and cried with my family. The home I've watched my precious younger brother grow in. The home I've vowed to protect. The home that's forged and made me into the man I am today.

And the home I will destroy. No matter how hard I tried- no matter how hard I tried to steel myself, I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my face.

What am I doing? Why am I even going through with this? I can go to Sarutobi-sama right now and get this sorted out without having to murder my family. Why am I being such a coward?!

Just thinking about all of the lives that will be lost or changed forever because of the decision I'm about to makes me want to run- run far, far away. My mother… she doesn't deserve this. Hell, she doesn't even deserve the life she's been forced to live.

Growing up, she's tried to protect me as much as she could from growing up too fast as the council and my father wanted. She wanted me to have a happy childhood. Even after I started my training, she was the one that always made sure I was fed when I came home from long missions, mentally stable whenever I broke after taking lives, and physically strong enough to continue on by taking care of my wounds. She's always been my rock, and now I have to kill her. Squeezing my eyes shut, I barely noticed my pace slowing.

Father… I can't lie- father deserves to be punished if even the slightest for what he's put Sasuke and I through, but he doesn't deserve to die. Despite all of his flaws- and there are many- he's still our father. I've seen with my own eyes the way he's protected Sasuke from the council when they were pushing for him to be disowned because he didn't show the same skill level as I did at his age. I've seen him push Sasuke to his absolute limits and carry him home to treat his wounds after. He's even saved me a number of times when I definitely was supposed to die on missions by following when he wasn't supposed to. Why? Because he knew I wasn't ready for it. Though that doesn't excuse him for being cold and distant, I can't ignore that he has protected and cared for us. And he doesn't deserve to be murdered.

Sasuke, my precious baby brother. I know the elders promised not to lay a hand on him, but that doesn't mean his life won't forever be changed because of this night. What is he going to think once he finds out? No one is allowed to know the true details or the reasonings behind what's about to happen tonight so no one is going to be able to tell him the truth. All he'll know is that his brother massacred his family- not that he was ordered to do so in order to protect the village. At least he'll live to hate me.

Many names popped into my head the further down the road I walked. Shisui- my cousin and the closest person to a best friend I have. My aunt's, uncles, cousins- Izumi.

She's the one person that I haven't quite yet figured out. She's not blood related to me as she's apart of a branch family, but I don't know what to feel about her. I know I care for her, but not in the same way I care for someone like Sasuke. Can I call her a friend? Do I even care for her that deeply? After tonight, that won't matter. After all, she won't be alive long enough for me to find out.

The sight of the looming gates to the compound came into view making me stop. My heart sunk deep into my stomach making me want to vomit. Is there still time to go to Sarutobi-sama? Gazing at the sky, the moon was nearly directly overhead- the time detailed in the scroll that the deed needed to begin by. I'm out of time.

Taking in a deep breath, I harshly wiped my eyes, drying my tears. Counting backwards from ten, I used all of my mental strength to lock away my emotions deep into my subconscious. I have to do this… for the village… for Sasuke… for everyone.

A final tear fell from my eyes as I continued forward, my legs feeling heavy. As the crest on the gate became visible, I could see a small form standing in front of it.

They didn't say a word as they watched me approach. With the scarce light, I couldn't fully make out who it was, until the clouds shifted and moonlight illuminated their figure revealing their features clearly.

"Sakura… what are you doing here?" She still didn't speak. The eerie silence of the night surrounded us as I stopped a few feet away from her. From this distance, the look in her eyes was painfully clear. Why does she look so… heartbroken? Either way, it doesn't matter. For her sake, she can't be here. "You need to-"

"You don't have to do what the elders ordered you to do anymore." My eyes widened. How did she…? "I fixed it."

"What are you-"

"You don't have to kill anyone, Itachi." The gentle way she spoke and the soften of her gaze made me feel… safe for some reason. As if I have to believe her.

"How… how do you know about that?" The sadness underlying her gaze deepened as she slowly closed her eyes.

"You don't need to worry about it anymore. I fixed it." without another word, she started to walk towards me until she passed me, heading in the direction I just came from.

In my mind, I know what I should do. What good shinobi with any semblance of pride would take the word of a nine year old still in the academy? I should take her directly to the elders and question her on how she knows about my mission. At least, that's what I should do. Sakura isn't a normal nine year old. In fact, I'm nearly 100 percent sure she hasn't been completely honest with me about her abilities. Who knows what she's fully capable of. If she knows about my mission that I myself just found out about, then she had to have had some kind of way of listening in on the conversation. And what does she mean by it's fixed?

"Sakura!" she stopped, but she didn't make a move to face me. I can't figure out why, but my heart's pounding harshly in my chest. "You don't really expect me to accept that without an explanation." For a while, she didn't answer. I almost thought she was ignoring me until a quiet sigh filled the gap between us.

"Ask the Uchiha elders in the morning. They should be more agreeable. You should also talk to the Hokage when you're done."

"That's not an-"

"Itachi…" the way she said my name- almost as if she were talking to a loved one that wanted to die- made my heart skip a beat. Slowly, she turned her head, a ghost of a smile on her lips while her eyes glittered in a way that looked like tears filled them. "I only have ever had one wish: for you to live a full life filled with love and happiness. I will never do anything to jeopardize that." What? She turned her head back around, continuing to walk away. "Don't forget that." Before I could even think to respond, she disappeared around a corner.

What… what just happened? What am I supposed to do? Should I report this to the elders? Should I continue with the mission as agreed? Besides, what good is the word of a nine year old anyway? But, she's not just any nine year old.

Squeezing my eyes closed, I tried hard to silence my racing thoughts. Taking a deep breath, I felt a sudden wave of calm wash over me. All at once, the crippling anxiety and uncertainty that gripped me vanished. In its place, I had a strong urge to do what Sakura said. Without even realizing it, my feet already started in the familiar path to my home that I've walked a thousand times before. Just pass it all off as a bad dream. Yes, in the morning, it'll be like none of this ever happened. And I'll handle this madness then.

Itachi's POV

In the morning, I went to the clan elders like Sakura told me. To my surprise, they already knew why I was there. They even set up the meeting hall as if they were expecting me. What was even more shocking, was the atmosphere of fear surrounding all five of them. What did Sakura do?

"Itachi-san," the head of the elders, Souma, started. "We were… hoping you would join us this morning."

"We have much to discuss." Mizuno, the second ranking elder, added. I raised a brow as the other three stayed oddly silent. Usually they would make some kind of snide remark about how emotional Souma and Mizuno are being- what happened? Scanning the other three elders, I can see even more evident fear within their faces.

Souma- one of the oldest living Uchiha with dark grey hair and even darker eyes- never showed emotion. He's been hailed since he started his ninja training as being as cold as ice and indecipherable. On the other hand, Mizuno- a highly decorated ex-ANBU captain that served in two wars with her long dark hair now grey and her eyes a deep brown- only ever showed distaste or disgust for everything. The other three, Ishida, Kaneko and Atagi only rarely showed other emotion besides disdain amongst each other since they grew up on the same team together. Ishida, the eldest of the three, still sported grey spiky hair and a permanent scowl. Kaneko, the only female of their group, had her hair braided in a low ponytail that's always perfect. However, today you can easily tell she didn't take much care of keeping up that look as it wasn't nearly as neat as it usually is. Atagi, the youngest member of the elders, usually stayed quiet, but his piercing eyes constantly followed you with an eternal judgement with in them. Each one of them as fought more battles than I ever hope to see. They are the oldest and supposed wisest of all Uchiha with decades of experience as well as merits to back it up. It can be easily said that it's impossible to terrify them. And yet, they all look terrified.

"Did you plan to meet with Sarutobi today?" The sound of Souma's voice snapped me back into the present.

"Yes, Souma-sama." He nodded, turning to a hidden guard in the far corner of the room. Waving his hand, there was a subtle shift in the shadows before the guard's chakra disappeared.

"Well, I think it will be more convenient for us all if we invite our Hokage here instead." What?

Invite Hokage-sama here? The Uchiha elders hate Hokage-sama! Isn't that why they wanted to do their coup in the first place?

"We would like to speak with him as well." Mizuno stated, as if she heard my thoughts. "We will wait to continue when he arrives." I nodded, trying hard not to show the pure bewilderment on my face. What did Sakura do last night?

Surprisingly, it only took a little over a minute for Sarutobi-sama to come. When he walked into the meeting hall, it felt as if he already knew why he was there. His face looked grim and his signature pipe was missing. He didn't even wear his full formal Hokage attire he always dons. Instead, he looked very casual in plain shinobi gear and a green vest. Why isn't anyone acting like themselves today?

"Hokage-sama, it's a pleasure to have you here." Mizuno greeted. The other four just nodded their agreements. Sarutobi-sama nodded settling on the cushion laid out next to my own.

"It is always a pleasure to hear directly from my fellow comrade in this village. I can assure you, you will be heard and I will do everything in my power to make sure you are safe and secure." Atagi started to grimace at his words, but something seemed to have crossed his mind making him recoil in fright before settling on a neutral face. Did… did Sakura threatening them? But, what can she do to people like them? What kind of power is she hiding from me?

"You are gracious as always, Hokage-sama." Mizuno cleared her throat before straightening her back more. "It has come to our attention that some members of our clan aren't happy with the treatment of our clan and would like changes to be made."

"For example," Kaneko finally said in her customary scratchy voice, "some are not happy that we are forced to control the police force and, thusly, have less members climb to higher shinobi ranks because they are stuck in the police force." Sarutobi hummed rolling his shoulders.

"I see why your members feel that way, but believe me when I say that was not the intent when your clan was given the responsibility of the police force. It's undeniable that the Uchiha clan has the most powerful lineage in Konoha. Because of that, we entrusted your clan with the heavy responsibility of the Konoha police force. No other clan would be able to do this job as efficiently and orderly as you hence why you all are an important asset to this village." They all looked like they wanted to protest, but, shockingly, they stayed silent.

"Other members have seen the location of our compound as another plight." Ishida spoke up for the first time. "They wonder why we must stay on the outskirts of the village while other clans get to be in more affluent areas of the village like the Hyuugas." Sarutobi hummed, rubbing his chin.

"That is another reasonable matter to be upset about. Again, that was not the intent. Like I said, it is undeniable that your clan is one- if not the strongest clan within this village's walls. If the village were to be attacked, the rear would be vulnerable making the destruction of Konoha eminent. Placing the Uchiha compound here not only strengthens our defenses in case of an attack, but also decreases the chances of an attack. With your clan's reputation, only a fool would challenge you." Ishida, Kaneko and Asagi started to grumble amongst themselves, but none of them spoke out against his words.

"All of that answers the grievances our people have," Souma spoke in a tone that showed his true cold nature, "but will you do to soothe their frustrations?" Sarutobi was silent for a moment, his hand still rubbing his chin. It didn't take long for him to stop as an idea came to his mind.

"What would you say if your clan head was given a seat on the Konoha council? I would also offer a seat as a village elder, but I don't fully control who gets that kind of position. However, having a seat on the Konoha clan council is the highest seat of power a clan head can have in this village. Also, I believe it's well overdue that your clan is represented fairly in this village." To my bewilderment, the elders didn't even deliberate or even grumble about the decision like they usually would. They just accepted it. It's almost as if they were expecting it, but how?

"That is very gracious of you, Hokage-sama. We will inform Fugaku-san immediately of his new position." Souma turned, waving his head to the corner of the room with the guard.

"Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama. Please allow us to provide an escort for you back to the Hokage Tower." Sarutobi-sama accepted graciously and then we were all excused.

As I left the elder's meeting hall, I couldn't help but feel relieved, confused but, most of all, extremely grateful. Whatever Sakura did- whatever kind of power she's hiding that did this, there's nothing in the world that I can do to thank her. She saved my family- my life- the future of everyone. I can't believe I've been so suspicious of her. Yes, knowing she has some kind of power that's strong enough to threaten the Uchiha elders into agreeing with Sarutobi-sama makes me uneasy, but right now, the overwhelming gratitude is more than enough to outweigh that. Now, I believe Sasuke has wanted to train with me lately. Unsurprisingly, almost losing everyone you've ever known and loved makes you want to be close to them. So, for the rest of the day, I spent it with the people who I hold nearest to my heart.

First, I spent a few hours training with Sasuke. He's been asking me to train with him for a while now, but with the constant missions and paperwork I've had to do, i've never had the time. All it took was nearly killing my entire family to make time… I shouldn't let it get this serious next time. I suppressed a deep sigh as I watched Sasuke throw three kunia at a target a few feet away. Two of them hit near the center but only one hit the bullseye.

"Damn it." Sasuke hissed under his breath, walking over to the target. Yanking our the knives, he basically stomped his way back to his starting position before throwing them again.

"You're trying to hard." I softly called gaining his attention. His eyes narrowed in frustration, but that unmistakable shine of admiration was brighter in his dark eyes. "Don't focus on impressing me so much. Just relax and"

"Focus on hitting the target! Geez- I get it already!" He hissed turning away from me harshly, a slight tint of red running across the bridge of his nose. I hummed nodding my head. If we train more, maybe I can get him out of the habit of throwing tantrums. I couldn't help the smile that creeped into my face as Sasuke threw his next volley.

After training, Sasuke and I both headed home for dinner, but, since it's been so long, I asked mother if I could invite Shisui. No matter how much I may deny it, he is my best friend. Just thinking of what I almost had to do- what I would have done- I can't stop the unbearable pain in my chest. What would I have done without him?

"Ah, this is a delicious spread as always, auntie!" Shisui exclaimed while we ate. Mother shot him a smile while father surprisingly stayed quiet, his usual frown marring his face. Normally, his expression would concern me, but given that he was filled in with all the happenings with the elders, I'm not surprised his mind isn't in the present.

"You should come over more often, Shisui-kun." Mother said, taking a bit of her meal. Shisui smiled brightly, shooting me a mischievous grin from the corner of his eye.

"I'll definitely take you up on your offer, auntie. Besides, what will my baby cousins do without me?" You have no idea, Shisui.

After dinner, I excused myself and left in search of the last person I needed to spend time with today. Like always, I found them sitting on top of the wall surrounding the Uchiha complex. Since we're in the southern sector of the complex, not many people frequented it. Plus, it has a perfect view of the sun setting behind the vast forest.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here, Itachi." Izumi called over her shoulder, her eyes softening at the sight of me.

"I just decided to come." I said, sitting next to her. She hummed, turning her attention back to the view before us.

"So, if I knew you were coming, it would make me a mind reader, huh?"

"Or a good guesser." She giggled softly, before a comfortable silence covered us. We silently watched the sun slowly descend together until a feeling to say something bubbled up in my chest. If this was the last time I ever saw her, what would I want her to know? "You're a good friend." She blinked, turning wide eyes to me.

"Where did that come from?" I grunted, turning away from her. The rustling of her plain black shirt and the soft puff of breath on the back of my neck told me that she leaned close. "Are you okay? That's far more sentimental than you've ever been- you're not even that way when we're with Shisui." A soft snicker came from her direction. "Don't tell me… are you falling in love with me, Itachi Uchiha?" I grunted. I can't outright tell her the truth. No one is ever supposed to know I was ordered to…

"There's no reason for it." Turning my head forward again, I watched as the last rays of sunlight fell behind the horizon of dark green trees. "I just realized I haven't told you that." And I wouldn't have gotten the chance if it wasn't for Sakura. Izumi raised a brow at me, but her features soften shortly after. Closing her eyes, she leaned back, looking up at the stars.

"Either way, thank you." The smile she gave me was accentuated by the light of the stars and the rising moon. Yes, I owe Sakura way more than I can repay her.

Three Years Later

Sakura's POV

"Congratulations! You all are the newest graduating class! Now, I will call you all out for your team placements so you may meet your Jonin squad leader to start your next faze of training." Iruka-sensei called from the front of the room.

"Yes-yes-yes-yes! I'm practically almost hokage now!" Nii-kun whispered yelled next to me.

"In your dreams maybe." Sasuke responded on his other side. Like that, the two started a silent glaring contest over my head. No matter how much time passes, I'm sure this is the one thing that will never change. Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath of their combined scent, soothing my mind.

I wish things could always be this way. I wish all my precious people could live their lives in peace doing the things they love everyday. However, I know that's impractical. There will always be someone that will want to hurt them in some way. All I can do is fix it the best way I can. Speaking of which, I'm still not done dealing with those annoying elders. Just the thought of them brought the memories of that night three years ago to the forefront of my mind.

If I'm being fully honest, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop on the conversation Itachi-san was having with the village elders. I was just trying to give him is scheduled dose of energy since he had been overworking himself again, but he happened to be in the middle of that meeting. Once I heard what was going on, I couldn't stop myself from doing something. Before I could even think fully on the consequences, I used my tendrils to sneak into the elder's meeting hall.

They were as old and hardheaded as I suspected them to be. However, their high and mighty attitudes quickly dropped when I showed them what I would do to them if they didn't abandon their stupid plot. Granted, just telling them that wasn't going to do much given I was a small child, but when I showed them my tendrils then forced them to watch what I would do through my tendrils, they came around to my thinking. Besides, when a nine year old summons strange strings and then puts them inside your head to show everything you love engulfed in flames while your nailed to a pole, slowly bleeding to death from a gash in your stomach, as you watch said child kill everyone, I would agree to their demands too.

After they stopped shaking, I forced them to agree to never mention something so idiotic every again or else I would fall through with my promise but, next time, there wasn't going to be a warning. Once they agreed, I left to go handle the other old, hard headed elders in the village. It just so happened that I ran into Itachi-san on the way there. I wasn't going to speak with him then. In truth, I was just going to send my tendrils to make him go to sleep and have him wake up to everything magically being fixed, but once I saw the look on his face, I couldn't.

For my entire life, Itachi-san has always been strong, collected, and the perfect example of what a shinobi should be. In that moment, he was what he's truly been but no one has ever acknowledged: a scared human being. He wasn't a robot that blindly followed orders the elders think he is. Nor was he the perfect iron shinobi that the village think he is. In that moment- on that heartbreaking night, he was Itachi Uchiha- a man made out of skin and bones that bleeds red like everyone else. As the tears he didn't know were falling down his face hit the ground while he tried to make his face expressionless, I couldn't stop myself from acting without thinking. I had to make him feel better- I had to fix what all the elders almost broke. Using my tendrils, I made him go home and sleep a peacefully. If I didn't, I wouldn't have been able to handle the other elders with a clear head. So, after I made sure he was safely tucked into bed, I went to Danzo's underground office.

Given from what I saw through Itachi-san, Danzo was the mastermind behind the massacre idea. Even though I still haven't exactly figured out why he wants the Uchiha clan dead, it was rather obvious that, if Itachi-san didn't do as he said, he was going to send in an army to do it anyway. So, the first thing I had to do was deal with his hidden army. Using my tendrils, it wasn't that hard to find the second level of his underground office where he kept them. When I first came face to face with them, I almost didn't believe they were real people. I've never seen another human move and act the way they did. Even when I cut them, they barely reacted to the pain. If I cut off a limb, it didn't even seem like it registered in their minds that it was gone the way they kept coming at me, forcing themselves to bleed to death faster. Honestly, it felt like fighting zombies, but my demon eyes showed me that they were very much alive. Whatever Danzo did to them to make them that way, he should pay for it a thousand times over, but then again, I wasn't there for that.

Once I took them out, I found Danzo in his office. At first, he was going to attack me, but using the last bit of energy I had left, I used my tendrils to keep him tied to his seat. That gave me all the time I needed to show him his dead army and give him a detailed visual on what I will do to him if he doesn't leave Itachi-san and the Uchiha alone. Before he could finish blubbering in fear, I headed home to rest. I used a lot of energy that night- I needed a lot of sleep to fully recover. All in all, I would say that night was a success. Itachi-san didn't have to give up his soul for the village and all of the elders know to leave him alone. Although, I think Itachi-san is afraid of me now.

Every since then, Itachi-san has been sort of avoiding me. Whenever he came to pick up Sasuke, he would always find some kind of excuse to leave whenever I got there, but he would ask Sasuke to give me various gifts. I have no idea why he's doing it, but that demon voice in the back of my head always tries to convince me of one reason or another. Her favorite theory is that Itachi-san is now terrified of me and is only giving me gifts in order to "appease the demon'. Almost like giving a sacrifice to a bloodthirsty god to save the people. Normally, I would ignore her, but lately, I can't help but see the merit in her argument.

I mean, if he wasn't afraid, why would he avoid me? If he didn't feel like I was a threat to everyone, why would he only spend time with Sasuke and nii-kun? And if he had any kind of kind feelings towards me, why would he abandon me to spend time with that Izumi girl? That is another change. He's been hanging around that Izumi girl a lot more. Whenever I give him energy, she's always around when she wasn't before. Is it because their dating? Or is it because he wants to date her? My heart tugged painfully and I could feel pressure building behind my eyes. Gripping the fabric over my chest, I took a deep breath willing myself to calm. I shouldn't let my personal feelings get in the way of his happiness- no matter how much it may hurt.

"Hey," a gentle nudge, thankfully, cut off my thoughts. Opening my eyes, I turned to my left to see a single uncovered bright blue eye staring at me sympathetically. "Don't worry about the team placements. I'm sure you won't be in a team with Ami or any of her minions." I almost narrowed my eyes in confusion before it dawned on me. She still thinks I'm afraid of Ami. No sense in correcting her now. On the contrary, it's helped enormously these past years in the academy as she's kept that annoying girl away from me. Letting out a soft grunt, I faced forward once more.

"Team 7, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha." Isn't that interesting- they put all of us on a team together. A loud groan next to me brought the entire classes attention to nii-kun.

"Why do I have to be on the same team as the teme?!" Nii-kun whined throwing his arms in the air dramatically. "I love that I get to be on the same team as Sakura-chan, but why do I have to deal with teme's attitude all the time?!"

"Like I want to deal with your stupidity, baka." You could practically see the steam coming off of nii-kun. Jumping on the table, he crouched in front of Sasuke, grabbed a fist full of his shirt, and forced him close to his face.

"Say that again- I dare you, teme!" The two continued to fight, and I couldn't stop the small smile from appearing on my face.

Even if their temperaments haven't changed much, nii-kun and Sasuke have grown so much since we all first entered the academy. Most of all, they've become each other's best friends even if they'll never admit it. Knowing that, they will always have each other's back even if I'm not around. That's a comforting thought- The sight of a spiky haired boy pushing nii-kun by accident almost forced me to laugh out loud when he and Sasuke's lips locked. The combined screams of rage from Sasuke's fangirl's as well as nii-kun and Sasuke's wails of agony almost made it impossible.

I know it may be too much to ask for given that it's coming from an abomination like me, but I could have at least one wish in this lifetime, it would be that all my precious people can be happy forever. If they all can be as carefree as nii-kun and Sasuke are now, then there's nothing in this world that I would want more.

I hope you all enjoyed! Also, if I'm ever taking a few weeks to update, it's usually because of either homework or extreme writer's block. However, whenever I have writer's block for this story, I work on my other writing projects. If I'm being honest, I originally only wrote this story to try and sharpen my writing ability, but after reading how much you guys liked it, I couldn't help but fall in love with this story too. So, I take the extra time to make sure I'm putting out the best story I can for you guys, but sometimes I can get stuck on how to properly write certain scenes. In those situations, I start writing other stories I've been working on. So, if you ever want more content from me, I do post my original works on my wattpad account under my username Jay999. If you want more things to read until this story updates, you can check that out! And if you could, I would really love feedback on those stories as well. I haven't gotten a lot on them so I don't know if their any good. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! See you all soon!